April 9, 2007 Electric engines have a very unsexy image; environmentally friendly hybrids and plug-in vehicles couldn't be further from the minds of most high performance motorsport fans. The battery-powered Killacycle, however, is raising eyebrows at the dragstrip after smashing the electric vehicle quarter-mile speed record with a very respectable 8.168 seconds @ 155.78mph earlier this week. Video here.

The bike is fuelled entirely by the world's most powerful Li-Ion battery cells; the M1 from A123 Systems. 990 of the small, rechargeable cells combine to produce a 375 volt, 1575 amp, 7.5 kW/hr battery pack. The bike's peak output is over 350 horsepower, compared to the approximately 240 horsepower of this year's MotoGP missiles.

Top-fuel drag bikes, which make over 1000 horsepower and out-accelerate an F14 jet fighter with their massive power and grip, are currently running times about two seconds quicker than the Killacycle - but each run down the strip for these animal machines burns over 4 gallons of expensive, explosive NitroMethane. The Killacycle, by comparison, uses about 7 cents worth of electricity per run, will make about 7 runs between charges, and takes about 10 minutes on the charger to fully prime.

Check out this YouTube video of the Killacycle setting its recent world record. The sound is amazing, like an enormous electric drill. Most of the sound is actually created by the tyres and chain.

We wish owner/designer Bill Dube, rider Scott Pollacheck and the rest of the Killacycle team all the best as they work on breaking into the "magic 7s" in the coming months.